Overcoming the past: Shaping Syria’s new media landscape
After 50 years of authoritarian rule, Syria’s Assad regime fell in December 2024, leaving behind a vast gap of trust and accountability.
How can this space be filled?
More than 50 Syrian government officials, Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) staff, independent media outlets and international organization representatives met last month in Damascus to discuss what Syria's post-Assad media landscape could be. The gathering was part of the EU-funded ‘Fill the Space’ project implemented by DW Akademie in partnership with Fatabyyano, the Arab-speaking world’s leading fact-checking platform.
The Fill the Space project aims to strengthen Syrian media through targeted support for SANA, independent media outlets, Syrian fact-checkers, civil society organizations and other media stakeholders in Syria. This includes the development of an emergency kit of resources and tools for Syrian journalists (‘Media Emergency Kit’), as well as the strengthening of fact-checking capabilities and carrying out awareness-raising campaigns in the country.
The panel "What role for journalism in the new Syria?" was moderated by Rozana Media podcaster Yara Haidar, with panelists from SANA (Mahmoud Alhaji Othman), Syria Indicator Platform (Ali Eid), Verify Sy (Dounia Abd El-Nabi) and DW Akademie (Natascha Schwanke).
A key point was trust in media and how journalists, both independent and government-affiliated, can rebuild trust after decades of "media being used as a tool," as one panelist said. Several panelists recognized that dialogue can be a first step towards reconciliation. They also concluded that journalists and media makers need to be transparent about their work.
Participants discussed opportunities and the responsibilities that come with newly gained freedom of expression, as well as the question of media regulation.
One panelist said that while freedom was needed, journalists need "to know what we want and what we do with the freedom." Mahmoud Alhaji Othman, Director for International Cooperation at SANA, remarked that under Assad, SANA was just a "propaganda tool for the regime." Alhaji Othman saw the current moment as "a turning point: to get rid of the past, and set the record straight. This is a moment for SANA to blossom and provide the Syrian people with the information they need."
Fill the Space: A discussion on Syria's post-Assad media
Other discussion points included the threat of disinformation in Syria, and the role that DW Akademie can play in addressing such challenges. Panelists talked about implementing the Code of Ethics for Syrian Media developed by the Syrian Ministry of Information and independent journalists, and published in February 2026.
The stakeholder consultation reflects the collaborative approach at the heart of Fill the Space. Since November 2025, the project aims to strengthen information for Syrian audiences, to enhance fact-checking and media literacy, and to contribute to a safer and more resilient online information environment through partnerships with media organizations, fact-checkers and civil society actors across Syria. The project runs until April 2027.
The project is part of a larger portfolio of interventions by DW Akademie in Syria supported by the European Union, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Federal Foreign Office, and GIZ.
For questions and feedback, you can contact "Fill the Space" project manager Levent Baydil.
